The San Francisco 49ers wrapped up their 2023 minicamp Wednesday afternoon. The next time the team convenes in Santa Clara will come in late July for the start of training camp.
Here are the top five takeaways from the 49ers offseason workouts as they head into their summer vacation.
Quarterback competition
There was no clear leader in the competition between Trey Lance and Sam Darnold as neither was able to separate themselves from the other.
Darnold completed a higher percentage of his attempts (38-53) than Lance (35-55) however this was due to the veteran performing better during seven-on-seven periods.
Once a pass rush was added to the mix Darnold and Lance finished with nearly identical completion percentages. During the full team sessions Darnold completed 11 of 19 attempts compared to 12-21 for Lance.
Brock Purdy is the leader in the clubhouse to be the starter this season according to John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan. He began throwing a full-size football on May 29, ahead of the June 2 timeline given by the team. Purdy is expected to spend the break before training camp working with his personal quarterback coaches in Jacksonville to ensure his mechanics are clean.
No date has been given for Purdy’s return, with the team stating they are hopeful he will be ready to go during camp. He will need to prove himself ready before he is named the week one starter.
Dropped passes
Drops from wide receivers and running backs were a constant theme throughout the four open offseason practices.
Lance, Darnold and Brandon Allen attempted a total of 136 passes and 13 of them, just under ten percent, were dropped. Lance and Darnold each had six passes dropped while Allen had just one.
Jauan Jennings, Danny Gray, Ronnie Bell, Chris Conley, and Elijah Mitchell each dropped a pair of passes while Isaiah Winstead, Ronald Awatt and Ty Davis-Price had one apiece.
Colton McKivitz
McKivitz is in line to replace Mike McGlinchey at right tackle and his lack of playing time previously has allowed for a great deal of speculation.
During his limited playing time the 2020 fifth round pick has proven himself to be a good run blocker. Throughout the offseason program McKivitz also looked solid in pass protection.
McKivitz held pass rushers Drake Jackson, Kerry Hyder Jr. and Clelin Ferrell at bay with regularity. The task will become much tougher as the season gets underway, but this was a good starting point for McKivitz.
Jordan Mason
Mason proved himself to be a dependable back during his rookie season, working his way into the closer role. The undrafted free agent averaged six yards per carry and was dependable late in games.
To better compete to be the second back behind Christian McCaffrey, Mason needs to prove himself as a pass blocker and catcher.
During offseason workouts Mason held on to every pass which came his way while Elijah Mitchell and Ty Davis-Price each dropped at least one. If he keeps this up during training camp, Mason will have a good chance to supplant Mitchell in the 49ers running back rotation.
Rookies
The rookies seemed to fade into the background as the offseason program went along. This shouldn’t be unexpected for a team with as much talent as San Francisco.
Jake Moody’s 63-yard field goal on the final day of mini-camp was the highlight for the 49ers draft class. Apart from Moody, this class was expected to be little more than depth pieces for this season. They’ll now get a few additional days with the coaching staff to work before heading into the summer break with instructions on where they need to show improvement for training camp.
Among the rookies who stood out were undrafted free agents Spencer Waege and D’Shawn Jamison.
Waege was a defensive end at North Dakota State; however, he is transitioning to defensive tackle with the 49ers. He has shown an explosive first step to go along with speed to track down the ball and solid pass rush moves.
Jamison was all over the field during the two-day minicamp. The former University of Texas standout demonstrated an ability to get his hands on receivers at the line of scrimmage and fight for the ball. Jamison recorded three pass breakups over the final two practices of offseason workouts. If Jamison can maintain this level of play once training camp starts, he may be able to leapfrog Darrell Luter Jr. on the depth chart.
Thanks, Jack.
“There was no clear leader in the competition between Trey Lance and Sam Darnold as neither was able to separate themselves from the other.”
I want to take this at face value, but, I can’t help feeling that if Darnold and Lance are fairly even, for me that seems to bode well for Lance given that Darnold has more game and league experience.
Because of SD’s more experience, I think that he should be well ahead of an relatively inexperienced TL.
Obviously, Sam is still getting acclimated to Shanahan’s scheme, but some reports have seem to do with passing more than scheme.
AES, “I can’t help feeling that if Darnold and Lance are fairly even, for me that seems to bode well for Lance”
Agree. Darnold has to be better than Lance to beat him out. To this point that has not happened.
agree. SD is a solid backup-the best we have had in that slot for many years. Sure we could have used him in the championship game last year.
Sam was on another team.
.
I sure wished KS had activated even an injured Jimmy G for the NFCC Game. He could run, but not sprint, and had gutted through injuries before.
ummm..my statement on SD is expressed in the subjunctive sense.
Of course, KS could not anticipate that he would lose both of his QBs to injury.
.
But the reality of the situation was that Jimmy G could run, but not sprint, so he may have been able to lead the 49ers to victory, again. It was KS’s call, and he stayed with Purdy and Johnson.
Sorry to be disagreeable, but I just don’t see that Darnold had any advantage with having more experience than Trey. What Trey was missing out on was the ‘opportunity’ to be standing in line to get his ass kicked behind sub-par linemen on sub-par teams. Let’s call it even and go with ‘Jack’ and call it a draw until training camp shows us what is real…
“Darnold has to be better than Lance to beat him out.”
Jack.
That answer is practical enough.
TBD.
KS called Darnold’s attitude as one starting his rookie season. Sam needs to learn the terminology and memorize the playbook. This system requires reads and adjustments on the fly. Darnold also needs to sync up with the new receivers, and work in a cohesive manner with his O line.
.
Lance has an advantage because he has had over 2 years in the system. He knows his receivers well, and was the starter for 4 games. Lance lost his job due to injury, so he just wants a chance to earn it back.
.
KS himself said that there was no competition until TC. Both have time to improve, and Purdy has time to rehab.
Lance has never shown any resemblance of NFL starting QB. He even looks scared out there and he scares the hell out of the 49ers fans also. KS should try him out at WR/ TE and only as an emergency 3rd string QB.
Lance’s first pass was for a TD. His first run was for a TD.
.
He was inches away from defeating the Cards. He started out slow in the Texans game, then led a 2 minute drive to put up points before the half. In the second half, he certainly looked like a starting QB, and won the game, keeping their playoff hopes alive. I will cut him slack for failing to win in a monsoon, but he could have won if not for the defense playing undisciplined, and the unforced errors. Lance led the 49ers to a score in the Seahawk game to give them the lead, and was leading another long drive before he was unfortunately injured.
.
KS likes Lance so much, he named him the starter over a SB QB.
.
‘He even looks scared out there and he scares the hell out of the 49ers fans also.’
.
Wrong. Lance made many runs up the gut into the teeth of the defense. Some one who was scared would never have done that.
.
Wrong about the fans, too. True, die hard faithful 49er fans are not afraid of anything, or anyone. Faux fans like you can be afraid, but I fear no one.
Seb,
I couldn’t have said it better.
Putting labels on young QBs that have not had the opportunity to play enough games in the NFL is really premature and quit a reach, imho.
‘McKivitz is in line to replace Mike McGlinchey at right tackle and his lack of playing time previously has allowed for a great deal of speculation.’
.
We all had the same trepidation with Aaron Banks at LG, but he turned out just fine. I guess I will just trust in Foerster.
.
It is nice to see Mason do so well, but I am still hoping for Mitchell to have a good season. He, along with Mason, should help in the RB-by-Committee strategy.
I would love to see Jordan Mason get more touches this season, especially in short yardage situations early in games, not just as a closer. Glad to hear Waege is doing well. I’m still not convinced we are as talented and deep at DE as we need to be. Would like to see us add a proven edge rusher like Yannick Ngakoue.
agree
Jack,
Do you know when Kittle holds TE U? Has he already held it? Is Lance going to be there?
OC,
TEU is during this upcoming break. Lance is expected to participate.
Coach/Jack
This is a great opportunity for TE’s around the league.
This also is an opportunity for QB’s the sharpen their passing skills. I wonder how many will show up to participate in this event.
QB Josh Allen is expected to attend, too.
Thanks Seb
Jack, regarding your muted rookie commentary, other reports had Ji’ayir Brown starring with multiple INTs. Did you see something different?
The only interception during open practices was the Hyder pick of Lance on Wednesday.
Brown is currently third on the depth chart behind Gipson and Odum but it’s early.
Mason proved himself to be a dependable back during his rookie season, working his way into the closer role. The undrafted free agent averaged six yards per carry and was dependable late in games.
I read/watch at least 5 49ers sites daily and I don’t think I heard Robert Beal’s name mentioned once during rookie or mini camp. He must have been very unimpressive. Kerry Hyder is a known quantity and I think he will end up filling the 4th DE spot this upcoming season. Hopefully Beal will land a spot on the PS and will be a factor in 24. I will be watching his development during camp closely. I hope he doesn’t end the teams impressive streak of 5th round shockers.
The only comment i heard was that he had thin legs and did not look strong enough to shine. However, yes he makes PS for sure.
I suppose that having thin legs in todays game that rely on metrics and measurements have some significance.
But a couple of old players that had thin legs did pretty well. They were Jack Lambert and Ted “The Stork” Hendricks. I’m sure that there have been many others, but these two immediately came to mind.
True but the comment came from a credible commentator. One of my favs.
Don’t forget Dwight Clark’s comment on first eyeing Joe Montana in the locker room: skinny legs !
Yes! Who could forget Joe Montana?
This player may or not be recognized by today’s football fans, but if you get a chance, watch video of Lenny Moore (Baltimore Colts), he was another skinny legged player that was a major star in his day.
Again, there are many others from yesteryear and today.
And I am skinny all over!
the comment was made by Larry Krueger. I like him. Reasonably funny but solid and has no manufactured drama.
Kreug is a no-non-sense honest writer. He’s one of my favorites.
Guess I had listened to him too much on KNBR, before he was fired.
.
I will concede that Kreuger knows football, but to me, he has a smarmy delivery.
OC, I think that Beal could take the same pathway as Drake Jackson. He needs a year to study the playbook and work out hard so he gains 13 lbs of muscle.
.
With his 4.48 speed, he is a good depth and development player. As a 5th round pick, he should not expect to beat the veterans out of a starting job. Like you say, he may be a factor in 2024, but I hope they can rotate him in during this season, and I hope he can contribute on STs.
I don’t know about skinny legs but when I saw Beal in drills he looked like a RB who had wandered into DL drills. His wearing #33 could have something to do with it.
OC, Speaking of which, how do you like the new number assignment where anyone can have any number they want. (well almost)
I was kind of used to it watching as much college football as I do but i’m some what a traditionalist and liked the old system better.
I don’t watch college, I liked the old assignments and knowing what players had what kind of position.
Post Mini Camp 53 projection.
QB- Trey Lance, Sam Darnold, Jack Coletto. Purdy is put on the IR with a 4 week designation to return.
WR- Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Ray Ray McCloud, Jauan Jennings, Danny Gray, Chris Conley.
TE- George Kittle, Cameron Latu, Braydon Willis.
RB- CMC, Elijah Mitchell, Jordan Mason.
FB- Kyle Juszczyk
LT- Trent Williams, Matt Pryor.
LG- Aaron Banks, Jason Poe.
C- Jake Brendel, Jon Feliciano
RG- Spencer Burford, Nick Zakelj.
RT- Colton McKivitz, Jaylon Moore..
.
LDE- Nick Bosa, Kerry Hyder, Austin Bryant.
LDT- Javon Hargrave, Javon Kinlaw.
RDT- Arik Armstead, Kevin Givens.
LDE- Drake Jackson, Clelin Ferrell.
WLB- Dre Greenlaw, Dee Winters.
MLB- Fred Warner, Curtis Robinson
SLB- Oren Burks, Marcelino McCrary-Ball.
SS- Talanoa Hufanga, Ji’Ayir Brown.
FS- Tashaun Gipson, George Odum.
LCB- Deommodore Lenoir, Ambry Thomas.
RCB- Charvarius Ward, Samuel Womack.
NB- Isaiah Oliver, Myles Hartsfield.
.
LS- Taybor Pepper.
K- Jake Moody.
P- Mitch Wishnowsky.
I see that you took a shine to Dee after my tip!
Good choice!
I’d like to see them rest Purdy but I doubt they will listen if both TL an SD fail in TC.
I think both Lance and even Sam could lead this team to victory.
Of course they can win some games, I doubt they can lead us to the ultimate victory. 38 more days without any real insights is taxing. TC will give us more of the needed info, then pre-season will confirm whether we are in trouble or not!
This team is dripping in talent.
.
Even Joan in Accounting could lead this team to achieve their Quest for SIX !!!!!!
Talent is not enough to win the SB, and since Joan isn’t working in accounting anymore maybe your POV is a little outdated as well…
‘Talent is not enough to win the SB’.
.
Talentless teams do not make the playoffs.
.
Did Joan get kicked upstairs now that Paraag is leaving to manage Leeds? Even so, Joan could come out of retirement and lead this team to victory, it is so talented. I believe in Joan. She is undefeated.
“Talentless teams do not make the playoffs.”
.
Yes and some talented teams don’t get to go to the SB caus they used up all of their talented QBs…..
Seb,
A few different views.
Coletto on the PS Purdy on the 53
Conley PS
Either Woerner or Dwelley on the 53
Feliciano will back up Brendel and Banks Poe to the PS
TDP or Laborn on the 53
K. Davis back up DT
C. Robinson PS
SLB McCrary-Ball starter Burks back up
LCB Thomas cut Luter or Jamison back up LCB
OC, I think that they may want an extra O lineman, so one less RB. Colletto can also be considered a RB. If they do keep another RB, I like Ronald Awatt over Laborn.
.
Conley was a third round pick, with 4.35 speed.
.
I did consider Luter making the 53, but wanted a veteran DE to keep Kocurek happy. I truly believe that Ambry Thomas will have a bounce back season.
.
Woerner has stone hands and Dwelley is slow and has blocking issues. There was a reason why they selected 2 TEs in the draft.
.
You certainly may be right about McCrary-Ball.
Seb,
How bout Kalia Davis?
It was between him and Austin Bryant. Davis will find it hard to find playing time behind Hargrave, Armstead, Kinlaw and Givens. I also contemplated TY McGill, but the DE position has Jackson as a big question mark, and Beal may need this year to develop.
.
The 53 cutdown date will be very painful. I expect several waived players will be poached away.
If you get a chance check out David Lombardi on YouTube. He did a good job projecting the 53 man roster. Seb, yours looks good to.
TY, I would like to see what you could project, too.
I stay away from projections as much as possible these days. But, I do enjoy reading the projections of others. It makes for interesting reading imho.
Next one, I will try to include the PS roster.
OC, I was debating about Curtis Robinson, but included him because JL likes Stanford defenders.
.
However, you may be right and he lands on the PS.
Darnold completed a higher percentage of his attempts (38-53) than Lance (35-55) however this was due to the veteran performing better during seven-on-seven periods.
Watching the old 49ers v Broncos Superbowl on NFL NETWORK.
Montana, Rice. Craig, Lott and other great 49ers players along with hearing John Madden and Pat Summerall. What a game to remember!
Brady may have won more Superbowls, but Montana was the most efficient QB in Superbowl history. Montana was the Baryshnikov of the NFL.
AES,
Montana is the GOAT. With Brady’s inability to move and none of the rule changes that were written exclusively to protect him he would not have won as much or even survived the no cap era JM played in. Joe faced huge pass rushes at least 10 of his 16 games a year. Brady played against mostly cap era watered down defenses. I don’t even rank TB #2 that goes to Otto Graham. imho
Coach,
Otto Graham is a little before my time, as I didn’t become a real fan of the game until the mid 60s. John Brodie, Ken Willard, Matt Hazeltine, Jimmy Johnson and Kermit Alexander, was about the time that started my 49ers lifelong journey.
But, I often heard great things about Otto Graham.
But, Brady’s 7 SB wins makes him the best. We can’t change that. Just like I can’t change that the 49ers should have drafted Brady. 😉
AES,
I never saw Graham but I have always been a student of the history of the game. All I know is if I had one big game to win I would choose JM to lead my team.
Yes! I wouldn’t even give that a second thought.
Montana is “That Guy!”
Jack, regarding your muted rookie commentary, other reports had Ji’ayir Brown starring with multiple INTs. Did you see something different?
Wow. Otto Graham from Wikipedia:
First -team all-American basketball player at Northwestern. Didn’t play football until a sophomore at Northwestern! He led the Cleveland Browns to the league championship every year between1946 and 1955, making ten championship appearances, and winning seven of them.
He holds the NFL record for career average yards gained per pass attempt, with 8.63. He also holds the record for the highest career winning percentage for an NFL starting quarterback, at 81%.
Naka,
He holds one NFL record that will never be broken. Want to guess what it is?
OK. I give up.
I did have some other thoughts. Were they still using a football that was fatter than modern day?
He was criticized because he was one of the first (if not the first QB) to not call his own plays. The coach (Paul Brown?) called the plays.
Did he run for a TD, Pass for a TD, kick a field goal and 2 PATs?
Good guess, Seb.
Coach,
I read that he won 10 consecutive Championships. Is that the record you wrote about?
AES,
He went to 10 straight, he won 7.
The answer to todays trivia question is:
Its kind of a trick question. He holds this record along with a number of QBs. The longest TD pass in NFL history 99 yards. It is an unbreakable record unless they adapt the CFL field.
That’s quite a record. Good find.